BEAR Walk strides through Collegetown Sept. 1

August 26, 2015

The second annual BEAR (Being Engaged and Responsible) Walk will be held Sept. 1 in Collegetown.

The BEAR Walk aims to build positive connections and a sense of community among students, Collegetown permanent residents and the city of Ithaca while providing tools for being a good neighbor and creating a successful off-campus living experience.

From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., the 400 block of College Avenue between Dryden Road and Oak Avenue will close to traffic and become the site of the BEAR Walk info fair, featuring musical performances and Cornell Dairy ice cream. At 7:15 p.m., Cornell President Elizabeth Garrett, Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick ’09 and Student Assembly President Juliana Batista ’16 will speak.

Cornell and city departments and agencies including Planned Parenthood, the Children’s Community Garden and the Drug and Alcoholism Council will provide information about health issues, fire safety, crime prevention, city of Ithaca services and resources, Cooperative Extension nutrition resources, housing and food security, and other topics.

From 6:30 to 7:15 p.m., volunteer teams of students, staff and city officials will travel door-to-door in Collegetown and the Belle Sherman neighborhoods to distribute information to residents.

To participate, register online before Monday, Aug. 31 at 8 a.m. Participants will be entered into drawings for an iPad and Campus-to-Campus bus tickets. The BEAR Walk and Info Fair are co-sponsored by Campus Life, Cornell University Relations and the City of Ithaca.

Buses with using College Avenue will be re-routed and bus stops will be relocated. Check “special conditions” on CUINFO.